


won't you let me take you home

by exparrot (orphan_account)



Category: The Wizard Of Oz (1939), The Wizard of Oz & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Set in Kansas, historical accuracy? i dont know her, more to come - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-25 07:18:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14373708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/exparrot
Summary: As Dorothy returns to life in Kansas, she encounters an opportunity that will let her leave forever.





	won't you let me take you home

**Author's Note:**

> i don't know what this is tbh

The night she woke up, Dorothy Gale couldn’t fall asleep. Her mind still raced from her “trip” to Oz, but she was almost afraid to fall asleep. She was scared of the fact if she dreamed, she would return, but it wouldn’t be the same. But she was more afraid that she’d never return at all.

Also, the town doctor stopped by and said she had to stay awake for the massive bump on her head.

“You should sleep, Hunk,” She said softly to the man keeping vigil at her bedside. She gently pushed the cold, damp washcloth off her eyes to get a better look at him. He sat propped up on one of their wooden chairs, his feet kicked up on the foot of her bed. He looked bone-tired.

Auntie Em and Uncle Henry had wanted to make sure she didn’t fall asleep, but the farmhands wouldn’t let them stay up all night due to their age. Hunk volunteered, leading to the two of them sharing the quarters temporarily.

The man with the dark blue eyes shook his head, fighting off a yawn. “No way, pal,” He told her. He then leaned over to pet Toto, curled up at her feet. “Strict orders from Missus Em. Plus it’s better than fixin’ up the fence in the mornin’.” Toto leaned up into Hunk’s fingers, panting happily.

She smiled at them, “Afraid of hammerin’ your fingers off?”

Hunk playfully flexed his other fingers at her face, “Nah, these are nigh _indestructible_ by now.” But she could see little bruises and cuts on them from the farm work. He yawned again and distracted her, pulling both hands to rest at the back of his head. “So tell me ‘bout this dream of yours. Sounds like a wonder.”

For some reason, she blushed, “I told you already.”

“Just that we was all there,” Hunk said. “I love a good story. Plus, maybe it’ll calm me down.”

“From the twister?” She guessed, feeling droplets of water cascade down her neck. She wished she could change into her sleep clothes, but with Hunk there that was definitely not an option. At her feet, Toto yawned and stretched, as if he _had_ spent all day running around Oz.

“From the ten heart attacks you’ve given me this week,” He answered.

“Me!” She nearly exclaimed, sitting up more. But she remembered Em and Henry were asleep, with Zeke and Hickory spending the night downstairs as well. She had to be quiet. “Me?”

“Yes _you,_ ” He nudged her ankle with his foot. “You ran around like a chicken with its head cut off with all the Toto business- understandably- then you fell in the sty, _then_ you went missing, and we couldn’t find you after the Twister, _then_ when we did, you would not wake up for three days.” He stared up at her, eyes piercing in a new way, “It’s been a long week, Mizz Gale.”

She touched the rag sheepishly. It always irked her when he called her _Mizz Gale_. She’d been living with them since her parents died, she’d known him since she was 13 and he was 17. She was 16 now, a woman and a friend. She wasn’t even a lady of the house, that was her aunt’s job. Weren’t they friends? Why didn’t he see her as such?

“Didn’t mean to frighten you,” She offered, almost an apology.

He gave her a smile, “Just glad you’re all right. Now, where’d you go?”

“You can’t laugh at me,” She preemptively scolded him.

“Scout’s honor,” He held up four fingers. She giggled a little and reached over to tap one down. Once he held up three, she began.

Dorothy told him of crushing the bad witch of the east, and meeting Glinda. She told him about the munchkins, and the colors of the yellow brick road. She told him about the Scarecrow who wanted a brain, and the Tin Man who wanted a heart, and the Lion who wanted courage and how they reminded her of them. She told him about the Wicked Witch, and the Wizard of Oz, and the ruby slippers that wouldn’t leave her feet. She told him about killing the witch with water, and discovering the Wizard was a fraud. And she ends it with their gifts, and “it’s no place like home.” But she didn’t tell him about how familiar some of “characters” looked.

“You got some brains there, Dorothy,” He said, miraculously still awake. In fact, he kept his eyes on her the entire time she spoke. “Makin’ and creatin’ dreams like that.”

She rubbed at the bump on her head, placing the now warm cloth there. “Not anymore.”

He scrunched his face at her, causing her to laugh. “So who was that Marvel guy? The one who came by the house.”

“Professor Marvel?” She clarified, not that it was really necessary. He nodded. “He’s a fortune teller with the circus.”

“You got all the way to the circus?” Hunk nearly exclaimed. “Dorothy, that’s a long ways a way.”

She nodded, “I wanted to make sure Toto would be okay.” At the sound of his name, Toto crawled up to curl in the crook of her elbow. She pet behind his ears as she looked at Hunk. “I didn’t even realized how far I’d gone ‘til I left town limits.”

“We’ll protect Toto,” He vowed. “Don’t you worry about it. And don’t you leave again, you nearly made your aunt sick.”

Dorothy turned away from him, eyes instead locking on her fiddling fingers. “I know,” She said, thinking of what Professor Marvel had told her to bring her back to the farm. She thought of the magic ball in Oz, showing her Em, panicking and wondering where she was. A tear fell down her cheek, and others soon followed.

“Oh hey, none of that,” Hunk said, laughing awkwardly as he grabbed her a handkerchief. It was a bit dirty, but she found a clean patch and wiped her eyes. “You’re back safe. A-And your noggin’s gonna be as good as new. Don’t you worry.”

She nodded and willed herself not to cry. He was right, he usually was. She held onto that.

“I missed you all,” She sniffled. “When I left.” She wasn’t sure if she meant just running away or Oz too.

“We missed you too, pal,” He said, his gentle smile on his face. “How’s your head?”

The bump throbbed, but she played it off, wanting to help around the farm. “Right as rain,” She said. “I want to help with the farm work.” She said, pushing to get out of bed.

“I’m sure your aunt and uncle want you restin’,” Hunk said, hands going to her shoulders to stop her. “We got it today.”

“The farm is practically destroyed!” She insisted, gesturing out to the debris she could see from her window. “I want to help. C’mon, Hunk, please.”

He made a face, “Alright, we’ll ask ‘em.” He got up and stretched, the hem of his shirt lifting up to reveal a smooth plane of stomach. “But if they want you back in bed, that’s where you go.”

She nodded and extended her elbow for him to take. Then she froze. That’s what Dorothy of Oz did, not her.

But without skipping a beat, Hunk looped his arm in hers and lead her downstairs, Toto following at their feet.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! let me know what you think!


End file.
